Grilled Fish

In Canada, we all need to cook fish more often, especially oily wild fish, like sockeye, cohoe, or spring salmon.  I often stop for a fresh filet or steak at Stongs, Choices, or Seven Seas.   Broiled fish, a green salad, some vegetables.   Cut up fruit for dessert.  

The texture of salmon changes when you freeze it, so fresh is best.   I find steelhead trout freezes well without losing texture. 

This is the basic grilled fish recipe.   You can add other flavorings that appeal to you.

Ingredients:
1 or more salmon or other fish filets or steaks, with skin.
Olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon

Instructions:
Preheat the broiler.  Place the rack 5 inches from the element.
Line a baking sheet or pie plate with foil.  Sprinkle with olive oil.
Add the fish pieces to the pan.   Sprinkle with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Broil 3 to 4 minutes each side.  
Test the fish at the thickest part using a fork to pull apart the flakes - the fish should just flake apart but be juicy and moist, not dry, and should be slightly underdone (darker pink or more transluscent) in the middle.  The fish will cook the rest of the way after it is removed from the oven.   After a little practice, you will be able to judge the time based on thickness of fish, temperature of fish (room temperature or frig temperature), appearance of the flesh. 

Variations:
1. Dredge the fish in egg, crumbs, and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli with Sesame Seeds, Garlic, and Ginger

This is the most healthy delicious way to prepare broccoli.   Before I invented this recipe, I was a once a week at the most broccoli eater, but this will change me for life.

The sesame oil should be from Asia, and very pungent.  Get a small bottle in an Asian store, store in the refrigerator,and use up fast.  Sesame oil has a high smoking point, so it won't burn your vegetables.

Ingredients:
Broccoli
Sesame oil
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
1 knob of fresh ginger
Sesame seeds, black or white

Instructions:
Rinse the broccoli, cut the stem off, and cut the head into florets.  You can also peel and slice the stems.
Put the florets into a bowl into the microwave uncovered and press Vegetable.   The broccoli should emerge partly cooked and still bright green.
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium heat.   When hot, add 2-3 Tbsp of sesame oil and heat.
Chop 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic and a knob of peeled ginger and saute, stirring often.   Add the sesame seeds and sizzle a moment or so.
Add the cooked broccoli to the pan, and stir fry for a minute.  The broccoli should remain bright green. 
Put the broccoli mixture into a bowl, drizzle sesame oil on it, and serve.

Tuna Salad

This is a simple but scrumptious recipe for tuna salad.  It was inspired by the tuna salad sandwich at Bean Around the World, which was only okay and had about 12 ingredients -- too many to taste.
The proportions are up to you.   I like lots of ginger and oil.  

Ingredients:
1 can whole white tuna
1/2 cup pickled ginger
1 tsp. sesame seeds
Olive or sesame oil

Instructions:
Flake the tuna with a fork.
Shred the ginger into 1/2-inch pieces.
Mix tuna and ginger well.
Douse with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve with greens, or Broccoli with Sesame Seeds, Garlic, and Ginger

Optional additions: celery, edam cheese, mayonnaise, murin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, wasabi, fresh baby spinach

Sheila's Authentic Baslama Bread

This is another of Sheila's specialties, made on board the She-Cat in the marina at Finike.   It is a Turkish bread recipe and is especially handy method to use on boats as you make it in a frying pan.

I am not sure where we would get soft wheat flour here, but it would probably be the same as for making pasta.   The flour sold in the US is from soft wheat.   The flour they use for making bread is labelled "bread flour". 

Sheila used the blocks of yeast they have in Europe.   We'd have to use a package of dry yeast.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
5 cups flour (soft wheat)

Instructions:
Mix milk, sugar, and yeast, and leave until the yeast bubbles (about 15 minutes).

Put the flour in a bowl, make a well, and add the liquid. and stir.

 Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as required.













Cover the dough and leave until doubled in size.

Roll bits to fill frying pan about 1/4 thick.

Heat an oiled frying pan.

Cook 3-4 minutes, turn and cook 1 more minute.

When both sides are slightly brown, remove to plate.

Sheila's Lemon Curd

Put lemon juice and rind and sugar in bain marie and dissolve the sugar.


- Add the butter and melt that too

- Finally add the beaten eggs to the mixture taking care to stir continuously so that they don’t curdle (and don’t overheat)

- Cook gently stirring continuously for about ten minutes – test by putting a drop on a cold plate (hard to do that in a Mediterranean summer). If it stays on the plate when it is tilted it is done.

- Let the mixture cool only for a minute or two and then pour immediately into prepared jar. Don’t cover or put on lid until it is completely cold – just put a cloth or something over it.

Loris and I certainly had a gourmet holiday.   Here is Sheila's amazing Lemon Curd made on board the She-Cat.

Ingredients:
8 oz caster sugar (this translates to 1 cup sugar)
4 oz. unsalted butter
2-3 large lemons
3 large eggs

Instructions:
Sterilize a 1 pint jar and dry with clean cloth or paper towel and set aside.

Place a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water.  

Prepare lemons -- wash the lemons.  Lemons should be warm. Squeeze with a reamer and strain juice.  Use a lemon zester to remove the rind.  Add sugar, the lemon juice and rind to the bowl and dissolve the sugar.

Melt butter in a small pot and add to the bowl.

Beat the eggs with a whisk in measuring cup. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture taking care to stir continuously so that they don’t curdle (and don’t overheat)

Do not let the mixture boil.   Cook gently stirring continuously for about ten minutes – test by putting a drop on a cold plate (hard to do that in a Mediterranean summer). If it stays on the plate when it is tilted it is done.

Let the mixture cool only for a minute or two and then pour immediately into prepared jar. Don’t cover or put on lid until it is completely cold – just put a cloth or something over it.  

Lobskause Hamburg Stil

This is another German recipe from the Hamburg area served by our host Ulla.  It was traditionally made on ship and boats, obviously because fresh ingredients were not required.  A search of the internet revealed many variations and attributions -- Norway, Liverpool, Lubeck.  

Ingredients:
Potatoes
1 onion, peeled, whole
8-10 juniper berries
8-10 allspice
3-4 bay leaves
vegetable broth
1 can corned beef
1 cup pickled cucumbers
1 cup pickled beets and liquid
S and P (if required)

Instructions:
Boil a pot of potatoes with the onion, spices, and vegetable broth until the potatoes are very soft.  Drain, saving some of the liquid, and remove the spices and onion.   Put the potatoes in a large bowl.
Chop the corned beef, pickles, and beets finely and add them to the potatoes.  Add some beet juice and potato water to thin.   Add enough beet juice to make the dish very dark red. 

Serve with fried eggs.

Duck Breasts with Cardamon Sauce

Loris and I were served this during our stay with German friends, Ulla and Ule, this spring.  It was incredible, by far the best duck recipe I have eaten.  
Last week we tried the recipe at home and it was sensational.  

Polderside duck breasts are fabulous.   You can get them at Famous Foods.   We used frozen duck breasts from Stongs.

The flavourings are a little touchy.   Add slowly and taste as you go.   Hold back on the Grand Marnier and salt but be generous with the cardamon.   You can probably skip the balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts
Olive oil
6 tsp. Ground cardamon
4 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil (highest burn point)
1 cup cream
2 Tbsp. mascarpone
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Scant tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Marinade:
The day before, or at least 2 hours before, score the fat side of the duck breasts in a diamond shape using a sharp knife.
Marinate in a ziploc bag with olive oil, 3 tsp. ground cardamon, and 2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier.
Breasts:
Heat a frying pan on medium, and then add the grapeseed oil.  
Sear the fat side of each breast for 8 minutes, then turn and sear the meat side for 6 minutes.  Don't move the breast in the pan.  Turn the heat down a touch if the breasts start to burn.
Wrap tightly n aluminum foil to keep the juices in.  Wrap the package with a towel to keep warm and rest 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
Pour the fat out of the frying pan.
Heat the pan.
Add the cream and stirt to deglaze the pan.
Strain the sauce through a seive and return to the pan (I didn't bother).
Add mascarpone, 2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, balsamic vinegar, and 3 tsp. ground cardamon. 
Stir and turn down the heat to simmer for a few minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the duck breasts and serve on a platter.
Serve the sauce on the side in a gravy boat.